Agenda item

That the latest updated risk register and risk mitigation actions within the Social Services portfolio which were appended to the report be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services introduced a report to give an update on the development of a strategy for care and support services for people living with dementia  in Flintshire.   She provided an overview of the support and numerous activities carried out in Flintshire to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.  She also reported on the collaborative work, awareness raising, and training, that the Council  undertook with local organisations,   businesses, churches, schools, care and nursing homes.  The Cabinet Member referred to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and said that new and innovative ways of working and maintaining contact had been embraced to ensure people and their carers were not isolated and continued to be involved and received care and support.. 

The Senior Manager Integrated Services and Lead Adults  made reference to the regional dementia strategy and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) action plan and said it was intended to incorporate some elements of those strategies into the local action plan for Flintshire. She reported that the dementia action plan funding which was part of the Integrated Care Fund programme would continue.   She introduced the Wellbeing and Partnership Lead Officer who presented the report.

The Wellbeing and Partnership Lead Officer commented on the future and  priorities going forward, commencement of new projects and ideas,  opportunity for a regional strategy and sharing of best practice with other authorities.  He said the Council was committed to having its own dementia strategy for Flintshire and said that the priorities would be regularly reviewed and updated and set by Social & Health Care professionals, people with experience of dementia,  and community groups, and third sector organisations.  He reported on  the key themes in the Regional Strategy which were health and community and social care focussed (as detailed in the report).  

The Lead Officer also referred to the key priorities for the Flintshire Dementia Strategy which were detailed in paragraph 1.04 of the report.  He said the Strategy was currently in draft stage and consultation and collaboration was being undertaken with key stakeholders. The completed Strategy would be validated with the Regional Dementia Strategy Steering Group in March 2021 to enable publishing and implementation of the key actions from April 2021.

The Senior Manager Integrated Services and Lead Adults :commented on a new priority concerning night-time support for carers looking after people with dementia, the wrap around service, and support for end of life care.

In response to a comment from the Chair around the confusion a person with dementia might experience due to the number of care workers involved in their care, the Senior Manager Integrated Services and Lead Adults explained that the Council and some agencies had introduced measures to help build a relationship between the service user, their carer, and the care worker.  She referred to the use of photographs of the care workers and brief one-page profiles to develop familiarity and build a person centred approach.

Councillor Carol Ellis commented on the increased pressure on services due to the pandemic and the anticipated surge in demand when restrictions came to an end, citing an increase in requests for assessment and respite as examples.  The Chair also commented on a back-log of people waiting for diagnosis.  The Wellbeing and Partnership Lead Officer acknowledged the concerns raised and said that recovery and restart would be the main focus during the first 6 months. 

In response to a question from the Chair around the support provided for carers,  the Senior Manager Integrated Services and Lead Adults explained that support was provided through respite care services and referred to the night-time service to enable the carer to have rest/sleep, and an increase in direct payment to the carer via NEWCIS to assist the carer.  She also advised that carers would be part of the Steering Group for the Dementia Action Plan and that the Council worked closely with NEWCIS and FLVC to ensure that carers views were heard.   

Councillor Dave Mackie reported that in 2017 13% of all deaths were due to dementia and it was a leading cause of death, however,  research showed that 40% of people who had dementia did not have this recorded on their  death certificate.  He said diagnosis could take an average of 2 - 4 years and most people were not diagnosed until the condition was well advanced.  He said the problem was increasing and spoke of the need to raise awareness to attract more funding.

The recommendations in the report were moved by Councillor Paul Cunningham and seconded by Councillor Dave Mackie.

RESOLVED:

That the latest updated risk register and risk mitigation actions within the Social Services portfolio which were appended to the report be noted.